Toothpaste tube holder and dispenser



June 20, 1967 L. A. ZENTNER 3,326,419

TOOTHPASTE TUBE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 31, 1965 2 FIG.

INVENTOR.

EEK NTNER BY 1 m I A TORNE United States Patent 3,326,419 TOOTHPASTETUBE HOLDER AND DISPENSER Lowell A. Zentner, Rte. 1, Box 74, Scappoose,Oreg. 97056 Filed Aug. 31, 1965, Ser. No. 483,935 Claims. (Cl. 222-101)This invention relates to new and useful improvements in toothpaste tubeholders and dispensers.

A primary objective of the present invention is to pro vide a holder fortoothpaste tubes which receives the tube and furthermore which employsnovel means engageable with the tube for dispensing toothpastetherefrom.

A further object is to provide a toothpaste tube holder which hasmanually operable ball means engageable with the tube for squeezing aquantity of paste from the tube, and more particularly employing ballmeans operable by a push lever guide-d longitudinally in the holder.

Another object is to provide a toothpaste tube holder employing manuallyoperable ball means engageable with a tube in the holder and a pushlever for the ball means associated with structure which holds the pushlever forwardly to maintain the ball in engagement with the unusedportion of the tube.

Still another object is to provide a toothpaste tube holder employingdispensing means which is adapted to be readily re-set when a new tubeof toothpaste is to be installed in the holder.

Briefly stated, the present toothpaste tube holder and dispensercomprises a tubular body member for receiving a tube of toothpaste orthe like therein. Disposed within the housing is a ball arranged to bemoved longitudinally of the housing and engageable with the tube oftoothpaste for dispensing toothpaste from said tube. Engageable with theball is a push lever which is arranged to move longitudinally of thehousing and which is associated with means for maintaining the ballforwardly against the unused portion of the tube. The invention will bebetter understood and additional objects will become apparent from thefollowing specification and claims, considered together with theaccompanying drawings, wherein the numerals of reference indicate likeparts.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a foreshortened, longitudinal sectional view taken through afirst form of the toothpaste tube holder and dispenser of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a foreshortened elevational view of the present holder withcertain parts thereof being broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view taken through asecond form of the invention.

Referring now in particular to the drawings and first to FIGURES 1-4which show a first form of the invention, the numeral designates a tubeof toothpaste or the like having the usual threaded neck portion 12 andbottom end 14. As is well known, the bottom end 14 is fiattened and thelower portion of the tube tapers into said end. Although the inventionis illustrated herein as comprising a holder and dispenser fortoothpaste tubes, it is to be understood that it may be utilized as aholder and dispenser for any material packaged in this type of tube,such as hand cream, hair cream, and the like.

The holder and dispenser comprises a tubular housing 16 of a selecteddiameter to receive the tube 10. Housing 16 has a fiat, integrated wall18 on the rearward end and a removable, cone-shaped end or cover 20 onthe forward end. Cover 20 has a central aperture 21, and the removableconnection of the cover 20 with the housing 16 comprises a threadedconnection 22.

Housing 16 has a longitudinal slot 24 which extends from the end 18 to apoint short of the forward end. Movable in the slot 24 is a push lever26. As best seen in FIGURE 3 the push lever 26 is generally wider thanthe slot 24 but has side grooves 28 for receiving portions of the tubeon opposite sides of the slot 24, whereby the push lever has a slidableguided connection with the housing.

Provided on the inner surface of the holder in longitudinal relation andadjacent One side of the slot 24 are forwardly angled rack teeth 30, anda corresponding shoulder 32 which partly defines one of the grooves 28in the lever 26 has opposing rack teeth 34, FIGURE 4, engageable withthe rack teeth 30, the teeth being shaped to permit only forwardmovement of the push lever in the slot.

Referring in particular to FIGURE 1, the push lever comprises a topfinger engaging portion 36 with a rear, inclined, serrated edge 38 and atube confined portion 40 having a forwardly facing arcuate edge 42 forengagement with a ball 44. This ball is of slightly smaller diameterthan the diameter of the housing 16, or more specifically of a diameterwhereby it can move freely in the housing and compress the tube as shownin FIGURE 1. In fact, the ball is of sufficient lesser diameter than theinternal diameter of the housing to permit the push lever to be disposedinwardly to disengage teeth 30, 34. The rearward end of portion 40 ofthe push lever is shaped suchthat it extends a substantial distancedownwardly on the ball, for example to a point below the center of thelatter, to provide a good pushing engagement thereon. The forward end ofthe portion 40 extends only a part way down on the ball butsufi'iciently far to confine the ball in the arcuate portion of the pushlever.

Provided in the arcuate edge 42 of the push lever 26 at the upperportion thereof is a recess or pocket 46 in which is mounted acompression spring 48 having surface engagement with the ball 44. Thespring is of a selected force and arranged to urge the push leverupwardly, as viewed in FIGURE 1, and therefore it is apparent that saidspring normally maintains the teeth 30 and 34 in engagement with eachother.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that the side slots 28 in thepush lever 26 are of a greater width, vertically as seen in FIGURE 3,than the thickness of the holder Wall to provide a clearance 50 betweenthe outer portion of the push lever and the holder. This clearancepermits the teeth 34 to ride over the teeth 30 when the push lever isadvanced, and also permits the push lever to be fully retracted for thepurpose of installing a new tube, as will now be described.

In the operation of the present holder and dispenser, the top wall 20 ofthe housing is removed and the tube of toothpaste 10 inserted in thehousing bottom end first, it being assumed that the push lever 26 andball 42 are located adjacent the rearward wall of the housing. The cover20 is installed on the housing with the neck portion 12 of thetoothpaste tube projecting through the opening 21 therein. Wheninstalling the toothpaste tube in the holder, the usual cap 52 on thetoothpaste tube is removed, and may be reinstalled on the neck portion12 during those times when the dispenser is not being used.

Thus, to dispense a quantity of toothpaste, the cap 52 is removed andforward pressure is applied to the rearward portion 38 of push lever 26.This causes the ball to compress the tube and eject a quantity oftoothpaste. The rack teeth 30 and 34 prevent any retracting movement ofthe push lever and therefore the ball will always be in en- 3 gagementwith the unused portion of the toothpaste tube.

When material from the tube has been completely dispensed and it isdesired to install a new tube, the cover 20 is removed and the old tubetaken out. Thereupon the push lever 26 is returned to its staringposition first by depressing it inwardly against the action of thespring 48 an amount sufiicient to disengage the teeth 30, 34 and thensliding it to a position adjacent the end wall 18. A new tube oftoothpaste is then inserted in the holder, and, the top wall 20reinstalled with the neck portion of the tube projecting through theopening in said top wall.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modified form of the invention. In thisembodiment the parts are similar to the embodiment of FIGURE 1 with theexception that the push lever and the holder donot have theinterengaging rack teeth 30 and 34, respectively. The numeral 26adesignates the push lever and the numeral 48 designates the compressionspring confined in the recess or pocket 46 and engageable with the ball44. Since the spring urges the portion 40 of the push lever forciblyagainst the inner surface of the housing 16, the frictional engagementbetween said push lever and housing has sufficient braking effect tohold the push lever up against the unused portion of the tube. Similarto the FIGURE 1 embodiment, the push lever is returned to the rearwardend of the housing by depressing the said lever as it is moved back.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A toothpaste tube holder and dispenser comprising a tubular housingarranged to receive a tube of toothpaste, means in said housing defininga longitudinal slot, a push lever slidable in said slot having a housingengageing portion, ball means interiorly of said housing engageable bysaid push lever, said ball means being arranged to engage and compress atube of toothpaste mounted in said housing and to dispense saidtoothpaste upon forward movement of said push lever, and spring meansinterengaged between said push lever and said ball means to urge thehousing engaging portion of said lever into a non-retracting frictionalengagement with said housing.

2. The toothpaste tube holder of claim 1 wherein said ball means is oflesser diameter than the internal diameter of said housing to permitsaid lever to be moved to disengage said housing engaging .porti-on fromsaid housing.

3. The toothpaste tube holder of claim 1 including in- 5 terengageableteeth means on said housing and on said lever arranged to allow movementof said lever in a forward direction only, said ball means being oflesser diameter than the internal diameter of said housing to permitsaid lever to be moved sufficiently to disengage said teeth means.

4. A toothpaste tube holder and dispenser comprising a tubular housingarranged to receive a tube of toothpaste, means in said housing defininga longitudinal slot, a push lever slidable in said slot having a housingengaging portion, ball means interiorly of said housing engageable bysaid push lever, said ball means being arranged to engage and compress atube of toothpaste contained in said housing and to dispense toothpasteupon forward movement of said push lever, and means interengaged betweensaid push lever and said ball means urging the housing engaging portionof said push lever into a non-retracting frictional engagement with saidhousing.

5. A toothpaste tube holder and dispenser comprising a tubular housingarranged to receive a tube of toothpaste, means in said housing defininga longitudinal slot, a push lever slidable in said slot having a housingengaging portion, ball means interiorly of said housing having adisconnected engagement with said push lever, said ball means beingarranged to engage and compress a tube of toothpaste mounted in saidhousing and to dispense said toothpaste upon forward movement of saidpush lever, interengaging teeth means on said housing and on said leverarranged to allow movement of said lever in a forward direction only,and spring means interengaged between said push lever and said ballmeans, said spring means urging the housing engaging portion of saidpush lever away from said ball means to cause engagement of said teethmeans on the housing and lever, said ball means being of lesser diameterthan the internal diameter of said housing to permit said push lever tobe moved toward said ball means an amount suificient to disengage saidteeth means for returning said lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,353,747 9/1920 Harwood 222-1012,009,761 7/1935 Calderara 222--101 X 2,261,877 11/1941 Erikson et a1222-101 FOREIGN PATENTS 481,261 5/1953 Italy.

97,578 12/ 1939 Sweden.

F. R. HANDREN, Assistant Examiner.

4. A TOOTHPAST TUBE HOLDER AND DISPENSER COMPRISING A TUBULAR HOUSINGARRANGED TO RECEIVE A TUBE OF TOOTHPASTE, MEANS IN SAID HOUSING DEFININGA LONGITUDINAL SLOT, A PUSH LEVER SLIDABLE IN SAID SLOT HAVING A HOUSINGENGAGING PORTION, BALL MEANS INTERIORLY OF SAID HOUSING ENGAGEABLE BYSAID PUSH LEVER, SAID BALL MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO ENGAGE AND COMPRESS ATUBE OF TOOTHPASTE CONTAINED IN SAID HOUSING AND TO DISPENSE TOOTHPASTEUPON FORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PUSH LEVER, AND MEANS INTERENGAGED BETWEENSAID PUSH LEVER AND SAID BALL MEANS URGING THE HOUSING ENGAGING PORTIONOF SAID PUSH LEVER INTO A NON-RETRACTING FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH SAIDHOUSING.